Last Rites

I've finally given up the ghost in terms of trying to grow azaleas in a climate where they are not meant to be. I don't really know why some of us who like to garden on the High Plains won't take no for an answer, and stick to the plants that are meant for our near-desert terrain and weather. As I write this the calendar has just moved past the first week of June and the thermometer is edging above 104 degrees at early afternoon. Azaleas are Southern belles, needing moisture, reasonable winds and more acidic soil than we have in Western Kansas. If I want azaleas in my life from now on, they'll come in pots with foil wraps and big bows that put a touch of springtime on the Easter buffet table or a Mother's Day brunch.